Promising Young Woman (Emerald Fennell, 2020)

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Genre: Thriller/Comedy
Rating: 4/5 stars

This film is impactful, shocking and make it difficult to distinguish true evil from plain evil. The concept is extremely dark, but is highlighted with the light color palette and soundtrack that needed to be present to keep the audience caught off guard from the actuality of what occurs at the end.

There were definitely twists and turns that weren’t expected and the plot itself has themes that center around current social issues today. As the plot continues to thicken, there’s a switch between the characters and honestly makes the words ‘Villian,’ ‘hero,’ ‘anti-hero’ seem like they’re not descriptive enough to explain each characters place in the plot or their motives.

The contrast with the characters between our main female lead and the men is very telling and further drives the director’s underlining message. The film’s soundtrack and aesthetic slightly bordered on Sean Baker’s take on realism and editing styles. And the soundtrack definitely adds an airy, light vibe to the film which eventually is contrasted with the dark events that transpire in the film’s plot.

Also, pay attention to the use of reds, blues, and pinks. Each color is sprinkled in there, but each hold significant value. Overall the use of form and content in this film are extremely clear in underlining the statement, but also is a technique used to later throw the viewer off from the truth. It’s definitely a psychological roller coaster. A coaster that everyone needs to ride to explain the importance of these themes this film is trying to convey to each viewer, particularly to men.